Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Marc-André ter Stegen ( born 30 April 1992) is a German footballer who is set to play as a goalkeeper for Spanish club FC Barcelona. Club career Mönchengladbach 2010–11 season In the first half of the 2010–11 Season, ter Stegen established himself as the star of Borussia Mönchengladbach's reserve team and was frequently seen on the first-team bench. Whilst he was enjoying a relatively successful season, the same could not be said for his first-team colleagues. Mönchengladbach's senior side were seemingly failing in their efforts to avoid relegation, and on 14 February 2011, then-manager Michael Frontzeck was replaced by Lucien Favre, with the team rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga, having accumulated only 16 points after 22 match days.1 Results soon improved, but the erratic form of first-choice goalkeeper Logan Bailly held the team back. Whilst he was able to produce match-winning performances such as the one against Werder Bremen, these were few and far between, and were frequently cancelled out by uninspiring games. The fans of Mönchengladbach were quick to discredit the Belgian international, with some accusing him of putting more effort into his modelling career than his football. Ter Stegen's progress for the reserve team had not gone unnoticed by the supporters, and the new manager was inundated with demands to start the young prodigy in the league. Favre eventually lost patience with Bailly, and on 10 April 2011, relegated him to the bench in favour of Ter Stegen for the match against 1. FC Köln. The young German did not disappoint, and the defence boasted a previously unseen solidity. He kept his place in the team for the remainder of the season, keeping four clean-sheets out of a possible five in the last five matchdays as Mönchengladbach avoided relegation via the playoffs. During this run, he shot to prominence with a last-man-standing display against eventual champions Borussia Dortmund, making a string of world-class saves as Mönchengladbach secured a famous 1–0 victory. 2011–12 season Ter Stegen's status as first-choice goalkeeper was cemented when Bailly was sent on loan to Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax and the no.1 shirt delegated to ter Stegen, who had previously worn 21. During the summer transfer window, Bayern Munich had succeeded in their drawn-out pursuit of Schalke 04's captain Manuel Neuer. The German international made his debut against ter Stegen's Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena. The game did not go the way the pundits predicted, however, with ter Stegen producing yet another inspired display whilst his counterpart Neuer made the error that condemned Bayern to a 1–0 defeat. Following this game, Borussia Mönchengladbach embarked on an unlikely title challenge, with ter Stegen and fellow youngster Marco Reus providing the inspiration for Mönchengladbach. 2012–13 season After the departures of Reus to Borussia Dortmund and Dante to Bayern Munich, Ter Stegen emerged as Mönchengladbach's main star fnteor the season. He was again first-choice, and in February 2013, it was reported that Ter Stegen signed a pre-agreement with La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona.2 The deal was later denied by himself.3 2013–14 season After being strongely linked to Barça, Ter Stegen remained at Mönchengladbach for the new season. On 6 January 2014, he rejected a new deal from the club,4 raising the speculation over his future.In the last home game of the season, a 3–1 home success against Mainz 05 on 5 May, Ter Stegen sent a tearful goodbye to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Barcelona On 19 May 2014, Ter Stegen was announced as the new goalkeeper of Spanish La Liga side FC Barcelona, after the departures of Victor Valdés and José Pinto. International career Ter Stegen was rewarded for his performances by Joachim Löw, who called him up to Germany's provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He made his debut on 26 May 2012, in the 5–3 loss against Switzerland in a friendly match, but did not make the final cut for the tournament. He stopped a penalty from Lionel Messi in his second international match in the 1–3 loss against Argentina.7 He was called up to Germany's tour of the United States in summer 2013. On 2 June, against United States, he failed to control the ball after a back pass from Benedikt Höwedes, to concede an own goal. The game ended 4–3 to the United States. In the three matches that he played for Germany the team never won and they conceded 12 goals. Career statistics : As of 9 May 20148